It is not mobile in the soil so best worked in.

tj

Thank you

To address your question work if in 7 inches deep. There is a adjustment factor used in agriculture depending on how deep you want to work it in.

7 inches is 1.0 or the full amount determined.

5 inches is 0.7% of the full amount determined.

4 inches is 0.6% of the full amount determined.

3 inches is 0.4% of the full amount determined,

As Tsugajunkie stated Lime isn't mobile, its ground up rock, and will only adjust to a depth it is worked in.

How much to use will depend on several variables. Chief among them would be the liming agent (ground limestone, hydrated lime, etc) but also includes soil type and how acidic the soil is to begin with. Sandy loam with a pH of 5 could take 72 lbs of ground limestone for 1000 sq ft.

So jailin, what are your variables?

tj

Thank you for your replies kevin9408 and tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

My soil type is clay. I have attached a copy of my soil test from Whitetail Institute.

My apologies jalin66, doing the conversion from acres to the number of 1000 sq. ft units I had the decimal point in the wrong position. I used 435 units of 1000 in an acre and it should of been 43.5 units. Dummy me.

So those percentages by depth should be 70%, 60%, 40%, correct?

Looks like you have a clay soil very high in K and P and fairly high in organic matter too (8.7%). It sounds a lot like my soil except for the low pH. K and P stick to clay, so adding compost or P-K- containing fertilizers over a long period can lead to high levels. I've cut back on my compost additions and limit fertilizer only to N and only when it seems necessary.

Yes toxcrusadr, those are the numbers from the "Resources from UMass Extension and the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment" recommends.

https://ag.umass.edu/turf/fact-sheets/soil-ph-liming

About Half way down the page under "Limestone recommendations"

Bottom line jailin, use ground limestone (not hydrated lime or any other form) and you’re good to go.

tj

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. I truly appreciate it. Last question, what’s the most efficient way to work the lime into the soil. A handheld cultivator or should I rent a rototiller to get the lime 6/7 inches deep?

Well, my arms, legs and back would opt for a tiller but it depends on your clay. Some clays would laugh at a tiller as bounced along the surface.

tj

Lol. Thanks. I think I will listen to your arms, legs, and back and rent a Tiller this Fall. Thanks again for your input.

Rent a rear tiller over a front tiller, much better and easier.

Thanks Kevin. I will keep that in mind